ABSTRACT
Linear electric machines (LEM) are electromagnetic, electrostatic, piezoelectric, and magnetostriction force devices capable of producing directly progressive or oscillatory translational motion. The absence of mechanical transmission in LEMs opens up the possibility of inventing a myriad of new topologies tied to the application. Forces are required in LEMs to produce progressive or oscillatory translational motion. They may be obtained from the energy conservation principle or directly from Maxwell’s tensor or from the even more general Hamiltonian principle through Lagrange equations. All LEMs are based on forces in electromagnetic fields, so first the field distribution has to be found. The chapter deals with primitive topologies of LEMs and the electromagnetic field theory to calculate forces and uncover basic principles of LEMs. Electric conductors in LEMs flow in high electric conductivity wires properly insulated from each other and with respect to the magnetic core via insulation sheets/liners.
